Jim came in Friday and filled out the ARPA report for 2025. It was completed and accepted by the Treasury site.
Sheriff Chad Anderson appointment will be rescheduled.
The Commission received a letter from the Bates County Soil and Water Conservation District requesting budgeted funds for years 2023, 2024 and 2025. Only the amount in the current year's budget can be sent.
John made the motion to send the $2,000.00 budgeted for the Bates County Soil and Water Conservation District. Trent seconded the motion. All vote yes. Motion carried. No Opposition.
Frank Sedem from NextEra Energy Resources came to their scheduled meeting. They discussed their 510-megawatt Solar Farm project in Bates County, Missouri. The project is ongoing, with preliminary environmental studies and interconnection studies with SPP underway. Next Era aims to fill the gap left by the potential shutdown of a nearby generation unit. They emphasized community engagement, offering scholarships, and sponsoring local events. Jim Wheatley and John Gray raised concerns about the county's tax benefits and revenue from the project, highlighting the need for a clear contribution agreement and public education on the project's impact.
Sheriff Chad Anderson and Chief Deputy Justin Corbin came in for the scheduled meeting to discuss the Blue Shield resolution and designation, emphasizing the need for extraordinary financial commitment to public safety. The resolution includes supporting local sheriffs, public safety, and regional anti-crime task forces with grants possible to those entities that achieve the resolution. The county's use tax, typically $400,000 annually, was debated for allocating in entirety to law enforcement as they are already getting half. The sheriff's office needs $700,000 for radio systems, potentially funded by a lease program. Chad stated “lets return the funding back the way it was 2 years ago, and I’ll go back and I’ll fund the lease payments. I’ll do all that utilizing our budget”. The discussion included a current project without a determined total for the county. After much discussion about the history of the use tax and establishing the need to back this initiative the Commission has decided to provide the needed funds.
Trent made the motion to give back the ½ of the use tax portion that was taken from the sheriff's office in 2023 starting in the new budget year January 2026. John seconded the motion. All vote yes. Motion passed. No opposition.
Jon Roberts with MarksNelson Consulting came to their scheduled meeting. Corey Sneed, Butler’s City Administrator and Jana Rosier, Osage Valley in attendance. They discussed the economic development strategy for the county, focusing on the Enhanced Enterprise Zone (EEZ) incentives. They explained the EEZ's benefits, including tax credits and property tax abatements, and highlighted the need to update the EEZ board and resolution to streamline the application process. They suggested tying abatements to wages rather than just employment to attract higher-paying jobs. They also discussed the potential use of Chapter 100 agreements for solar projects to provide consistent tax revenue over 35 years. The group agreed to reactivate the EEZ board and explore regional economic development strategies. The requested information on contracting MarksNelson to work with on the EEZ.
Mark Frost a Lone Oak resident in Rattlesnake Hill, walked in on the open door policy to discuss the easements required for the private drives to be brought into county roads. He expressed frustration from paying taxes for road maintenance without services. As well as being told when he purchased his land that the roads were going to be added to the county and now finding they were not done correctly. Which has led him to pay a filing fee for the easement addition to the deeds. He also is frustrated over the lack of communication. Trent and John explained that without easements, the county cannot legally maintain the roads, and residents must pay additional fees including the filing fee for the easements to have this process achieved. Mark requested the Commission to have a meeting to explain this to everyone as this helped to understand the situation better. They agreed to arrange a meeting with all the residents concerned.
Work in progress
Policy Regarding Indigent Cremations given 8/25/2023 updates current
Rattlesnake Hill Roads 11/06/2023 updates current
Policy Regarding Computer, E-Mail, Devices and Social Media given 2/14/2024
Telephone Contracts 3/11/2024 updates current
EEZ Board 3/26/2025
